On a rainy Tuesday last week I joined a group of intrepid volunteers, road testing trails for the visually impaired with Artlink Edinburgh. We met at the beautiful Scottish Poetry Library, nestled in Crighton’s Close off the Royal Mile.

Here our trail began, led by audio describer Juliana Capes and poet Ken Cockburn. Juliana provided us with a sense of place and location through descriptions dense in metaphor. A personal favourite of the group’s was the Royal Mile as the spine of fish with the alleyways and Closes off it forming the fish bones. Ken provided a wonderful sense of atmosphere through a selection of Scottish Poetry. The trail took us from the Poetry library up the spine of the fish to Canongate Kirk (still adorned with Royal wedding florals) and the grave of poet Robert Fergusson; into the tranquil and aromatic Dunbar’s Close Garden and then back down the mile to the Scottish Parliament building. Along the way as well as being treated to poems and description we also stopped to appreciate sounds, smell and textures.

The persistent rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits and the group unanimously expressed their enjoyment of the event. I attended the event to inform the research and development of our own craft trail project. As well as finding the morning fascinating from a practical point of view as to how you describe and navigate a space, I personally found it a wonderfully enjoyable way to experience the city afresh. Maker Frances Priest joined us on the trail in preparation for a live craft trail she’ll be delivering with the group in September. 

If you’d like to hear Ken Coburn live in action you can attend the Pandora’s Light Box launch as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival, at 7pm on the 17^th August at the Talbot Rice Gallery. For more information and to book: susan@artlinkedinburgh.co.uk or 0131 229 3555.